For one electric night in downtown Mobile, the world’s game belonged to the Port City. On Monday, June 16, 2014, hundreds of fans crammed into O’Daly’s Irish Pub to watch the United States open its World Cup campaign against Ghana, and by the final whistle the crowd was a sea of raised arms, sprayed beer and shouted names.
The match tested their nerves. When Ghana scored an equalizer in the 83rd minute, the packed room fell quiet, fans staring at their feet in frustration. Minutes later the mood flipped entirely: defender John Brooks rose to meet a corner and buried a header that sealed a crucial first win for the Americans. The pub exploded.
“It was insane,” said Mobile resident Dan McMillan. “Here, tonight, this was as America as it can get.”
A hometown debut
For local fans, the night carried an extra charge. The game marked the World Cup debut of Mobile native Aron Johannsson, the Icelandic-American striker who came on after forward Jozy Altidore left in the 21st minute with a hamstring injury. As Johannsson entered, the crowd cheered and began chanting his name.
“I’m very happy to see our Mobile boy come in,” said McMillan, 42. “He looked a little intimidated at first, but he was starting to pick up. You know, he can grow into this spot and ride the momentum.”
A bar built for the moment
O’Daly’s, which serves as the official bar of the Mobile chapter of the American Outlaws, the national U.S. soccer supporters’ club, filled all three of its drinking areas for the match. McMillan said the turnout dwarfed what he remembered from the 2006 World Cup, when only a handful of fans and international residents gathered to watch. “It’s not even in the same league,” he said.
When the match ended, the bartender cued up a run of America-themed songs, from Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” to the theme from the film “Team America: World Police,” and the celebration carried on.
New fans in the crowd
The energy drew in newcomers as well as die-hards. Burn Pelton, 31, who had recently moved to Mobile from Nashville, called the atmosphere unforgettable. “It was an excellent atmosphere,” Pelton said. “Unbelievable energy in the bar, it was fantastic.” He said he expected Altidore to return later in the tournament but was thrilled to watch Johannsson step onto the game’s biggest stage.
Courtney McNaughton, of Mobile, said it was the first soccer match she had ever watched, and that it had made a convert of her. “I like the energy,” she said. “I like soccer, I’m getting a soccer scarf.”
For a city that has produced its share of athletes, watching one of its own compete on soccer’s grandest stage gave the evening a hometown resonance that went beyond the scoreline. The win lifted the United States to an early advantage in a difficult group, and in Mobile it left a room full of new and longtime fans already counting down to the next match.
Johannsson’s path to the national team had wound from Mobile to Iceland and back into the American setup, and on this night the connection between the player and his birthplace felt tangible in the chants echoing through the pub. Whatever came next in the tournament, the fans at O’Daly’s had claimed a small piece of the World Cup as their own.